Sniffer dog leads police to murder suspect in Isingiro

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Police on January 3, 2026, said they had made a major breakthrough with the arrest of a suspect linked to the murder of Gordon Karuhanga, a 48-year-old resident of Rugaara cell, Kagarama parish, Kagarama sub-county in Isingiro district.

The arrest followed a prompt police response involving a team of homicide detectives, scene-of-crime officers, and a K-9 unit after the incident was reported.

“At the scene, a thorough examination was conducted by the dog handler, after which a sniffer dog was introduced. The dog picked up the strongest scent believed to belong to the suspect and tracked it for a distance of about 100 meters from the scene, eventually leading to and positively identifying a suspect known as Gerald, who was among other community members present,” Police Spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said.

The arrested suspect linked to the murder of Gordon Karuhanga, a 48-year-old resident of Rugaara cell, Kagarama parish, Kagarama sub-county in Isingiro district. (Credit: Police)

Rusoke revealed that the suspect was identified by the complainant as a co-worker of the deceased. It was established that both men were employed by the same person to work on a plantation and were living in the same house.

“Upon arrest, the suspect was found with bloodstains on his hands, suspected to be of human origin. During interrogation, he confessed to having fought with the deceased during the night, together with four other individuals who were in the house, after returning from a drinking joint,” Rusoke stated.

He added that the suspected murder weapons, a pit axe and a stick, both bearing bloodstains, were recovered at the scene.

The Uganda Police Force canine unit has in recent years made notable strides in crime detection. In a report released earlier, police said the unit recorded 8,563 tracking cases between January and May 2023, leading to the arrest of 6,843 individuals.

The unit was instrumental in the arrest of 87 murder suspects, with 44 formally charged in court after investigations yielded sufficient evidence.

In narcotics and explosives detection, the unit received 45 calls to respond to abandoned items and suspicious objects at Aviation Police in Entebbe and conducted 36 canine sweeps at Aviation Police Headquarters.

Sniffer dogs have also played a central role in aviation security, handling 45 cases of abandoned items and suspicious objects at Entebbe International Airport.

In general crime cases, the canine unit has been directly linked to the arrest of 3,489 suspects, with 1,291 already charged in court.

Police said the unit’s services are offered free of charge and encouraged the public to cooperate by preserving crime scenes to maximise the effectiveness of canine investigations.